Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales will once again be solely representing the Factory Yamaha Team at the MotorLand Aragón track this weekend. Having come close to a podium result last time out, he is determined to land a top-3 result at the Gran Premio de Teruel and make further strides in the championship standings.
Thanks to a fourth place at last week‘s Gran Premio Michelin de Aragón, Viñales is currently third in the overall rankings, just 12 points from the top and 6 points behind the rider in second place. For the Teruel GP, the Spaniard is fully motivated to continue working on the setting of his YZR-M1. His strategy is to play up the strong points of the Yamaha and further adapt his riding style to the Aragon track, which is one of his favourite circuits.
So far, Top Gun, has stood on the Aragon podium three times before. He secured a third place in 2011 in the 125cc class, a Moto3 second place finish in 2013, and a Moto2 victory in 2014. He would love nothing better than to add a podium result this time out, having secured fourth place four times in the MotoGP class in 2016, 2017, 2019, and last weekend.
Valentino Rossi is still recovering from his Covid-19 infection and will sit out the Gran Premio de Teruel event. Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP announced on Sunday 18 October that they decided not to enter a replacement rider to substitute for Rossi at this weekend‘s GP.
The MotorLand Aragón circuit is situated near the town of Alcañiz, a few hours' drive from Barcelona. The fast 5.1km long track has ten left and seven right corners, and a 968m longest straight. It was given the IRTA Best Grand Prix of the Year award after MotoGP‘s first visit there, reflecting the riders' and the fans' appreciation of the venue.